


safe in your hands

by twistedsky



Category: House of Anubis
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-02-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 18:06:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3259328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twistedsky/pseuds/twistedsky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set mostly during the Senkhara storyline. Amber gives Nina hope for the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	safe in your hands

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Amber—at least not on a big, sweeping level, which is all Nina is really concerned with lately—but Nina would not have predicted that _she_ would be Nina's closest friend.

To be honest, Nina had rather expected that she wouldn’t really make friends at all.

She’s in a strange new place, and even though she’s hoping for the best, there’s something comforting about the way that Amber just seems to adopt her, declaring them to be friends. And then they’re roommates, and somehow, well, somehow it all works out.

Amber, Nina discovers, is the kind of person you want on your team, because she makes things _happen._

She’s the sort of person who would tell Death itself to come back later because she’s not quite ready yet, sorry.

Nina’s a little stunned by that level of confidence.

Amber Millington knows who she is and what she wants.

Nina thinks she’d like a little of that to rub off on her one of these days.

~~

“Fabian’s being silly again,” Amber tells her. “I don’t see why he just won’t fix this thing with Joy. We all know he wants to be with you.”

Nina shrugs, and focuses on her textbook. “I guess we don’t really know if that’s what he wants.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Amber says, almost looking offended. “Joy’s okay, I suppose, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He loves you.”

“He doesn’t love me,” Nina says, but she smiles slightly anyway.

That’s what she wants, right? She wants Fabian.

But really, she wants a lot of things—she wants to pass her classes, and finish these tasks so that she and her friends can stop being haunted by Senkhara.

She wants to be a normal girl again.

“I think you’re wrong,” Amber says very matter-of-factly in that way that she does. “I think this is all going to work out perfectly, and you two will be a sweet little couple.” Amber goes back to rearranging her nail polishes, and Nina frowns.

She hopes Amber’s right.

~~

“You’re going to be okay,” Amber tells her. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I don’t feel fine,” Nina says. “I can’t—“ Amber just places her hands on both sides of Nina’s face and holds her in place for a moment.

“Close your eyes. Breathe.”

Nina tries to breathe, tries not to panic, tries not to give in to the anxiety eating away at her, because her friends are cursed with her, and this is all a huge mess.

“I don’t blame you. I mean, it is a bit your fault, but not really. It’s Senkhara’s, really, and we’ll figure this all out, because I was not expecting a tattoo this early in my life, if ever.”

There’s something calming about Amber’s rambling, and so Nina acquiesces. She closes her eyes and breathes in deeply, listening to the gentle lilt of Amber’s voice as she continues on, trying to comfort Nina in the best way that she can.

For most people, that probably wouldn’t work out too well, but this is Nina, and she’s kind of gotten used to it. It’s actually . . . working.

“We’re going to get through this,” Amber assures her. “Because if we don’t, that’ll suck really badly. I’m too young to die.”

Nina smiles slightly. “Thank you, Amber. Even though it’s really stressful to have other people involved in all of this, I’m glad that I’m not alone.”

“Glad to be of service,” Amber chirps, and then she removes her hands, and Nina is surprised by how strange her face feels at the loss of the warmth.

It’s nice, she thinks, to not be alone.

~~

Amber wakes up screaming.

Nina rushes over. “You’re okay. You’re okay.”

“I’m scared,” Amber says, grabbing Nina's arm.

Nina awkwardly tilts her way into Amber’s bed, letting Amber hold onto her.

Nina faces Amber as Amber shivers in her bed, holding tightly onto her arm like it’s some kind of lifeline.

They stay like that, facing each other, and Nina and Amber both relax into it.

Nina means to get up at some point, but Amber never releases her grip on Nina's arm, and so Nina doesn’t even make a move to leave.

She’s exhausted, and so close to falling asleep again, but she waits until Amber does first.

“Amber?” she whispers lightly.

Amber doesn’t respond, and Nina sighs with relief before drifting back off to sleep.

~~

“You keep saying you want this,” Nina tells Fabian. “But then you keep acting like you don’t, and I just don’t know what to do anymore. We have enough to deal with without bringing our mess into it.”

“Nina, I—“ Fabian sighs. “I’m just not very good at any of this.”

“I know, I’m not either.” Nina looks down at her hands, and rubs them together nervously. “But maybe we both deserve better than this weird in-between state, where we’re dating, and then we’re not, and then we’re dating, and then we’re not, and even when we’re not we’re looking at each other and _wanting_ to be together.”

Maybe it’s just time to accept that it’s not going to happen with them. Things happen, after all. Just because you want someone doesn’t mean they’re right for you.

It’s time to move on.

Fabian argues a bit more, but Nina’s _right_ , and eventually he’ll see that.

Nina wants so much more than all of this.

~~

“You need to relax. Maybe get a manicure,” Amber suggests. “But try not to relax too much, because we really need to figure out the next section of that _creepy_ underground disaster area.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Nina promises, staring up at the ceiling from her perch on her bed. “It’s just one thing after another.”

“Not for much longer,” Amber points out. “Unless some new, creepy mystery pops up after this one is over, but I doubt that would happen.”

Nina considers her words and frowns. “With our luck?”

Amber sighs. “I know, I know. With our luck we’ll never escape all of this. Sometimes I miss how simple things used to be before. Me and Mick, the perfect blond couple. We were _very_ attractive. Everything used to be so easy.”

“Do you really want Mick back?” Nina asks.

“No,” Amber says. “Not really. Alfie and I had a nice run, and that wouldn’t have happened if Mick were here. And, well,  I just miss _before_ , you know?”

“I do,” Nina says. “But before all of this, I wouldn’t have known any of you.”

“Aw, Nina,” Amber gets up and moves across the room to flop on Nina’s bed, giving her a tight hug before pulling away. “Well, that’s why I’m only _partially_ missing the way things used to be. I’m very glad that you’re here.”

“Except when you’re almost dying?” Nina sighs.

“Maybe even then, mostly,” Amber tells her, leaning her shoulder against Nina’s. “This will all be fine in the end.”

“I really hope so,” Nina says, leaning her head against Amber’s.

"It will be," Amber says, and Nina almost believes her.

~~

“We did it!” Nina says when they go back to their room. “I can’t believe we really did it. I’m so—I have so much energy. I can’t believe we’re free from all of this.”

She’s happy, but she’s also just completely overwhelmed because of everything that’s happened. People have died, people have _almost_ died, and Nina—Nina’s trying to appreciate the fact that she’s still alive.

Amber pats her arm, and Nina swirls around, hugging her tightly.

“I’m grateful,” Nina declares. “I’m just. I feel blessed.”

Amber smiles slightly, and Nina’s just in such a great mood, and everything is so _great_ she wants to—she wants to do something.

“Can I kiss you?” she asks suddenly.

Amber’s eyes widen and her mouth drops open. “Um, okay.”

Nina leans forward again, but this time she doesn't hug Amber. She closes the last bit of distance between them, kissing Amber's lips gently, almost chastely.

Nina pulls back after a second or two and just stares at her. Well.

Amber frowns.

“I’m sorry—“ Nina starts to apologize, but then Amber shakes her head and leans forward, capturing Nina’s lips with her own, and wow _this_ is a kiss.

Amber’s teeth graze Nina’s lips and her hands make their way to Nina’s hair, and Nina needs to come up for air, but there’s something heady and deliriously perfect about all of this.

“Wow,” Nina says when Amber pulls away.

Amber smiles confidently, in that patently Amber way. “I know. I’m very good at that.”

Nina can’t help but smile back, and then she reaches out a hand for Amber’s. “We should try it again.”

“We will,” Amber promises.

Nina doesn’t entirely know how she feels, but she knows that this was good, that it felt right, and maybe it’ll keep feeling that way.

Amber makes _sense_ to her.

For the first time in a long time, Nina feels genuinely hopeful about the future.

 


End file.
